500 was up2.7 per cent over the past four days and hovering around 4½-year highs, while the Nasdaq Composite was 3.2 per cent stronger.2006年1月16日 星期一
“全球发电燃料正从天然气转向煤炭”
Power companies predict switch to coal
全球最大的三家发电设备制造商阿尔斯通(Alstom)、西门子(Siemens)和通用电气(General Electric)预计，煤炭将取代天然气，成为电厂的首选燃料，形成重大转变。
The world is on the brink of a big switch from gas to coal as the preferred fuel for power stations, according to projections from Alstom, Siemens and General Electric, the world’s three biggest power equipment makers.
《金融时报》得到的来自法国企业阿尔斯通和德国企业西门子的独立预测显示，未来10年内，将有40%的发电机定单为燃煤机组，而燃气机组所占比例将降至25%至30%。
Independent forecasts from France’s Alstom and Germany’s Siemens, made available to the Financial Times, show that about 40 per cent of the orders for electricity turbines in the next decade will be for coal-powered units, with the share of gas-fired plants falling to between 25 and 30 per cent.
阿尔斯通发电部总裁朱倍贺先生(Philippe Joubert)指出：“电力市场结构正发生根本改变，燃料从天然气转变为煤炭。”
Philippe Joubert, president of Alstom’s power division, said: “The structure of the power market is seeing a radical shift away from gas and towards coal.”
从西门子的数据可得出类似结论，而通用电气则表示，预计设备定单会出现一种“更为均衡的情景”，天然气远不像近年那样占据主导地位。
Siemens’ figures point to a similar conclusion, while GE said it expected to see a “more balanced picture” in terms of equipment orders, with gas being far less dominant than recently.
去年，燃料转向煤炭的趋势已较为明显。在120千兆瓦的新发电设备定单中，20%至30%为燃气机组，而30%至40%为燃煤发电机。
The shift to coal has been evident in the past year. Of the 120GW of new power orders, 20-30 per cent were for gas-powered plants while 30-40 per cent were for coal-fuelled generators.
减少燃煤电站排污量的技术变革，以及人们对于天然气这种燃料日趋失望，是引发上述转变的原因。市场担心燃料价格的不断上涨，并担忧供应安全问题。最近，俄罗斯和乌克兰之间的天然气定价之争突显了这种忧虑。许多亚洲国家很难得到天然气，而预计在未来十年内，半数新电厂定单将来自这些国家。
The shift is being triggered by technological changes that reduce the amount of pollution created by coal-fired stations and by rising disenchantment with gas as a fuel. There are concerns over rising prices for the fuel and worries about security of supply, underlined by the recent row between Russia and the Ukraine over gas pricing. Many countries in Asia, which is expected to provide half of all new power station orders in the next 10 years, lack ready access to gas reserves.
煤炭再度成为电厂主要燃料，逆转了近年的趋势。1997年至2001年间，在能源设备中采用天然气的做法最为盛行。当时，天然气作为首选燃料，为60%至70%的新电厂所采用，而使用煤炭的电厂仅为20%至30%。
Coal’s re-emergence as a primary fuel for power generation is a reversal of recent trends. The dash for gas in power equipment was most evident between 1997 and 2001, when gas was the preferred fuel for 60-70 per cent of new power stations and coal for 20-30 per cent.
阿尔斯通和西门子预计，未来10年内，电厂定单每年平均为120千兆瓦，而每年用于新电厂的支出预计为500亿美元。
Alstom and Siemens expect power station orders in the next decade to average 120GW a year. Spending on new power stations is expected to be $50bn annually for the next decade.
The long-suffering (and Australian) Mr Moneypenny supplied the wine for the office-warming party, which tells you what he is doing these days - purveying wine to the chattering classes. This career development took place in mid-life, and at least beats a motorbike or a mistress, which seem to be two of the interests many other middle-aged men adopt. Having spent 25 years in the television industry with great success, based on no prior qualifications other than having watched a lot of TV, Mr M's new career looks to be just as successful, given that he had no prior qualifications other than having drunk, in his lifetime, a lot of wine. Plus he is now even more useful as a corporate husband - not only can he still list the 23 left-handed batsmen to score a test century for Australia since the second world war, but he can tell you whether the Bordeaux you are thinking of choosing from the wine list is Left or Right bank and if it is from an appropriate vintage.
历经磨难的斤斤计较钱先生（澳大利亚人）为办公室乔迁聚会提供了葡萄酒，这告诉了你这些年他所做的事情：为这些嘈杂的聚会供应葡萄酒。这是他人到中年时职业发生的变化，至少这比开摩托车或当家庭主男强。这似乎是其它许多中年男士有兴趣从事的两种职业。钱先生曾在电视行业驰骋了25年，并取得了巨大成功，归其原因，除了看过很多电视以外，他之前没有任何资历可言。正因为除了他一生中喝过不少酒以外，之前没有任何资历，他的新工作似乎也一样成功。此外，作为一个经济型丈夫（corporate husband），他现在的用处更大了，他不仅可以为了在这类知识测试中获得高分而列出自二战以来23位左手棒球击球手的名字，还可以告诉你：你在酒单上考虑选择的波尔多葡萄酒是产于左岸还是右岸，以及其是否产自最佳酿造年份。
Not much else has changed, though - much to his disappointment and displeasure, he has failed to bring his golf handicap down to single figures. Maybe he might eventually manage to do so - given another 1,277 days.
其它方面没有多大变化，不过他的高尔夫差点成绩还没有降到个位数，这让他颇为失望和不满。如果再给他1277天的话，说不定他能最终实现这个目标。
花旗增持浦发股权至19.9%
Citigroup to increase its share of SPDB
花旗集团(Citigroup)将把在上海浦东发展银行(Shanghai Pudong Development Bank)的持股增加至19.9%，支付价格要比初期的投资价高许多。这一举动可能有助于花旗集团引起争议的、对广东发展银行(Guangdong Development Bank)的30亿美元竞购。
Citigroup is set to raise its stake in Shanghai Pudong Development Bank to 19.9 per cent, paying a large premium to its original investment, in a move that could help its controversial US$3bn bid for Guangdong Development Bank.
浦发银行股东昨天同意取消两家银行间签署的排他性协议。如果中国政府批准花旗对广发241亿美元(合30亿美元)的竞购交易，这一排他性协议将允许花旗集团收购广发银行。花旗目前持有浦发银行4.6%的股份。
Shareholders in SPDB, in which Citigroup has a 4.6 per cent stake, yesterday agreed to waive an exclusivity agreement between the two companies – a move that would allow Citigroup to take over GDB if its Rmb24.1bn (US$3bn) bid is approved by Beijing.
但花旗集团同意，在2008年前不与另外一家中国银行成立信用卡合资企业。据悉，花旗集团曾对浦发银行此排他协议要求提出异议。
However, Citigroup, which is believed to have originally contested SPDB’s claims of an exclusivity deal, agreed not to set up a credit card joint venture with another Chinese bank until 2008.
浦发银行股东大会还批准了同意花旗集团将股份增至19.9%有关计划。
The SPDB shareholder meeting also approved a plan for Citigroup to increase its stake to 19.9 per cent.
股东尚未就这家美国金融服务公司支付的价格进行投票。浦发银行官员称，花旗集团将按市场价买进增持的股权，但没有说明价格时间。昨天收盘时，这部分股权的市值约为8.2亿美元。
The shareholders did not vote on the price to be paid by the US financial services company. SPDB officials said Citigroup would pay the market price for the additional stake, without saying when the price would be set. The stake was worth about US$820m at yesterday’s close.
浦发银行评论似乎表明，花旗集团长达数月以低于市场价买进股权的努力以失败告终。2003年，花旗集团以约7000万美元购得其原始股时，获得了比股价低得多的折扣。花旗集团拒绝就它将要支付的价格作评论。
SPDB’s remarks appeared to signal that Citigroup had lost its months-long battle to secure a discount to the market price for the holding. When Citigroup bought its original stake for about US$70m in 2003, it secured a steep discount to the share price. Citigroup declined to comment on the price it would pay.
分析师指出，与花旗集团的这一协议尚未达成，浦发银行的股价有可能下跌，因为作为监管改革的一项举措，浦发银行即将在上海证券市场上出售相当一部分股份。
Analysts noted that SPDB’s share price could decline before the deal with Citigroup is clinched because the company is due to sell a significant amount of stock on the Shanghai market as part of regulatory reforms.
按花旗集团提出的协议，这家美国公司最终可持有广发银行约40%的股权。
Under the deal proposed by Citigroup, the US company would end up with a stake of about 40 per cent of GDB.
译者/李裕
2006年3月3日 星期五
India and US finalise nuclear agreement
印美达成民用核协议
The US yesterday sealed a historic deal with India that will enable the emerging Asian power to shake off its status as a nuclear pariah and gain access to the international civil nuclear energy market.
美国昨天与印度达成一项历史性协议，印度这个亚洲新兴大国将从此摆脱“核贱民” (nuclear pariah)地位，并可进入国际民用核能源市场。
The agreement concludes months of intense negotiations over the terms under which India would open its civilian nuclear industry to international inspection. It could provide George W.Bush, US president, with a rare foreign policy success at a time when his Middle East policy faces constant criticism.
该协议给长达数月的紧张谈判划上了句号，并可能使美国总统布什(George W. Bush)在其中东外交政策不断遭到批评之际，获得一次难得的外交政策胜利。双方谈判的内容，是有关印度民用核工业向国际原子能机构开放并接受检查的条件。
Mr Bush said: “This was not an easy agreement . . . to conclude, but it’s necessary for our peoples and I look forward to working with the US Congress to change decades of law.”
布什先生表示：“达成……这项协议不容易，但两国人民和我有必要期盼与美国国会合作，修改长达数十年的法律。”
The ground-breaking deal is at the centre of an effort to transform relations with India. It involves India putting 65 per cent of its nuclear power production by megawattage under international safeguards. It marks the first time it has agreed to such extensive oversight.
这一开创性的协议，是美国改变与印度关系这一努力的中心内容。根据协议，印度必须将65%的核电生产设施置于国际监督之下。协议标志着印度首次同意接受如此广泛的监督。
The onus is now on the US to sell the deal to Congress, which must authorise any change to the US Atomic Energy Act of 1954. Mr Bush said: “Short-term history shows that the US and India were divided and didn’t have much of a relationship and there are laws on the books which reflect that . . . Our relations are changing dramatically. Times change.”
美国政府目前的责任是就此协议说服国会，因为美国《联邦原子能法》(Atomic Energy Act)的任何修改必须征得美国国会的批准。布什总统称：“短期历史表明，美国和印度存在分歧，且双方的关系并不怎样，现行的一些法律就反映了这一点……我们的关系正经历戏剧性的变化。时代在变。”
However, the proposal is likely to face fierce criticism in the US, where non-proliferation hawks in the US have attacked the proposal as legitimising India as a nuclear weapons power while it remains outside the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. They argue it sets a precedent that will encourage other countries to develop weapons programmes.
但该提案可能会遭到美国国内的激烈批评，美国国内主张核不扩散的鹰派人士已攻击这项提案。他们指出，该提案将使印度作为一个核武器大国的地位合法化，而它仍处于《不扩散核武器条约》(NPT)之外。他们称，一旦开此先例，将鼓励其它国家发展核武计划。
Mr Bush, who has made energy prices a key theme this year, said he would tell Congress that helping India, whose economy is projected to be one of the five largest by 2020, develop civil nuclear energy would reduce demand for fossil fuels and lower petrol pump prices for US consumers.
布什总统已将能源价格列为今年的关键议题，他表示将告诉国会，帮助印度发展民用核能将减少对化石燃料的需求，并降低美国消费者购买汽油的价格。预计到2020年，印度将跻身世界前5大经济体。
译者/诸彦青
注释：
shake off抖落, 摆脱
Finalise v.完成（计划、安排等）；作最后决定
Negotiation n.商议, 谈判, 流通
Onus n.责任, 负担
Authorize v.批准
Dramatically adv.戏剧地, 引人注目地
Fierce adj.凶猛的, 猛烈的, 热烈的, 暴躁的
non-proliferation n.防扩散, 防止(核)扩散
legitimise v.宣布合法化
precedent n.先例
theme n.(谈话, 写作等的)题目, 主题
In brand new factories at the Kaesong industrial complex, a collaborative economic experiment on the edge of the demilitarised zone dividing the two Koreas, North Korean women sew flowery dresses and stitch fashionable trainers.
在开城工业园区崭新的工厂里，朝鲜女工们正在缝制华丽的衣裙和时尚的软底运动鞋。开城工业园是一个朝韩经济合作实验项目，地处两国的非军事区的边缘。
Meanwhile, managers from the 11 South Korean companies operating there espouse the advantages of the zone.
与此同时，在此运营的11家韩国公司的经理们对这里的优势赞不绝口。
“Shoe manufacturing is small and fading away in our domestic market so we were thinking about moving to south-east Asia,” said Bun Chang-sop, chief executive of Samduk Trading, a southern shoemaker employing 1,500 northerners. “However, North Korean workers are skilled so we’ve moved here instead.”
“在我们的国内市场，鞋类制造业规模较小而且正逐渐衰落，所以我们在考虑向东南亚转移，” Samduk Trading首席执行官Bun Chang-sop表示，“不过，朝鲜工人技术娴熟，所以我们转而移居此地。” Samduk Trading是一家韩国制鞋商，雇有1500名朝鲜员工。
At $57.50 a month – paid to the North Korean regime – wages at Kaesong are a fraction of those in the south, offering an obvious incentive to southern companies who have seen competitiveness eroded by globalisation.
在开城，每月57.50美元的工资（支付给朝鲜政府）仅是韩国国内工资的一小部分，对于那些竞争力遭到全球化侵蚀的韩国公司而言，这显然具有巨大的诱惑。
But for South Korea, the year-old Kaesong development is, more importantly, a production line for hopes.
但对韩国而言，更为重要的是，业已周岁的开城开发项目是一条为了希望而开设的生产线。
A flashy promotional video touts the rapidly expanding zone, where everything but the labour is supplied by the south, as “a land of promise, a land of new opportunities” where “conflicts are thawing and reconciliations are made”.
一部华丽绚烂的宣传片，将这个发展迅速、除了劳动力以外一切都由韩方供应的地区吹捧为“一块充满希望的土地，一块充满新机遇的土地”，在这里，“冲突正在化解，和谐已在营造。”
Or, as Kim Dong-gun, chairman of the Kaesong industrial complex committee, told the first group of foreign journalists allowed to visit the site this week: “The tension between North and South Korea will be eased and this will be recognised as a way to unification.” But Mr Kim admitted that “we still have some challenges ahead of us”.
正如开城工业园管委会主席Kim Dong-gun本周向第一批获准参观此地的外国记者表示：“朝鲜和韩国之间的紧张局势将趋于缓和，这将被视为一条通往统一的途径。”不过，Kim Dong-gun承认：“我们面前仍存在一些挑战。”
Indeed, for a zone held up as a beacon of inter-Korean co-operation, there is not much interaction between North and South.
的确，对于这个被奉为朝韩合作标志的区域而言，南北双方在此并没有过多交流。
South Korea might be gambling with millions of dollars of investment, but Kim Jong-il’s regime is risking ideological contamination by allowing 6,000 of its people to come into daily contact with 500 “imperialist flunkeys”.
韩国可能在用数百万美元的投资来赌博，但金正日(Kim Jong-il)政权允许6000名臣民与500名“帝国主义走狗”进行日常接触，却是在冒意识形态被污染的风险。
So capitalist and communist Koreans eat lunch separately, and when the northerners go home through the army checkpoint each night, the southerners go by themselves to a karaoke room in a shipping container, their only source of entertainment.
因此，资本主义的韩国人和共产主义的朝鲜人要分开吃午饭，而当朝鲜人每晚经过军事检查站回家时，韩国人则自己到一个船运集装箱里的卡拉OK房唱歌——这是他们唯一的娱乐来源。
Outside the perimeter, ramshackle North Korean houses with plastic sheeting for windows and balconies laden with straw are a stark contrast to the gleaming new buildings inside.
在园区之外，用塑料布糊着窗户、房顶铺满稻草的朝鲜房屋摇摇欲坠，与园区内光彩熠熠的崭新楼房形成了强烈反差。
“It’s like a quarantine station,” said Peter Beck, Korea analyst at the International Crisis Group think-tank. “The North Koreans are really trying to limit the contagion but on the other hand, it’s unprecedented to bring this many North Koreans into daily contact with South Koreans.”
“这就像个检疫站，” 智囊机构国际危机集团(International Crisis Group)朝鲜事务分析师彼得•贝克(Peter Beck)表示，“朝鲜确实试图限制（意识形态）‘污染’，但另一方面，它又空前地让这么多朝鲜人与韩国人进行日常接触。”
Despite the restrictions, thousands of North Koreans are being exposed to life south of the border. In this fenced enclave, LG air conditioners cool the buildings where Woori Bank changes South Korean won into dollars and the Family Mart sells sweets and cigarettes in flashy southern packaging.
尽管存在着限制，但数千名朝鲜人正感受着边界以南的生活方式。在这块被隔离的地区，大楼里安装着LG空调，吹来阵阵凉风；入驻于此的韩国伍里银行(Woori Bank)将韩元兑换成美元，而全家便利店(Family Mart)则销售着带有华丽韩国包装的糖果香烟。
There are other signs of adjustment. There are none of the Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il portraits that adorn every other building in North Korea, and none of the factory workers wears the “eternal president” badge that rests over the heart of everyone outside the zone.
还有其它表明变化的迹象。朝鲜每幢大楼里悬挂的金日成(Kim Il-sung)和金正日肖像在这里并没有出现，工人们也没有佩戴“永远的主席”（金日成）的徽章——而在该地区以外，每个朝鲜人的胸前都佩戴着这种徽章。
Diplomats and businessmen who have visited Kaesong in recent months say they were impressed by the complex and what it could mean for the future of the Korean peninsula, although they voice concerns about labour standards.
最近数月造访过开城的外交官员和商人表示，他们对这一园区及其对朝鲜半岛未来的意义印象深刻，不过他们声音中透露出对该地区劳工标准的担忧。
Hyundai Asan, the southern company that pioneered the zone, admits it has no idea how much of the $57.50 monthly salary each worker takes home. “Nobody knows,” said Byun Ha-jung, a senior manager. “Of course we care, but what can we do?”
倡导设立开城工业园的韩国现代峨山公司(Hyundai Asan)承认，他们不清楚朝鲜工人能从57.50美元的月薪中拿到多少。“没人知道，”该公司高级管理人员Byun Ha-jung表示。“我们当然关心，可我们又能做什么呢？”
Impoverished North Korea has a history of exporting labour – North Koreans are working in places as varied as Slovakia, Siberia and Dubai, their wages paid directly to the regime.
贫困的朝鲜有出口劳工的历史传统。现在就有许多朝鲜人在斯洛伐克、西伯利亚及迪拜等地工作，他们的工资都是当地直接付给朝鲜政府。
“Selling their people as cheap labour is a source of income for the government,” said one European who recently visited Kaesong, asking not to be named. He added that the Kaesong project could not be held up as evidence of economic reform. “Two or three Kaesongs would make a contribution but they are no substitute for real economic reform,” he said.
最近去过开城的一位不愿透露姓名的欧洲人说道：“朝鲜把自己的人民当作廉价劳动力出售，这是他们政府的收入来源。”他补充道，开城项目不能视为朝鲜进行经济改革的证据。他表示：“两三个开城这样的项目可能有所贡献，可它们并不能替代真正的经济改革。”
Nevertheless, North Korea also apparently has high hopes for the zone, which is set to encompass 6,600 hectares and employ 700,000 northerners when it reaches its full potential in 2012.
然而，朝鲜显然对这一地区寄予了厚望。到2012年，当该地区完全开发时，其占地面积有望达到6600公顷，在此工作的朝鲜人有望达到70万。
“The pilot stage is 70 per cent complete, and we are now making clothing, watches and automobile parts,” said Kim Hui-jong, a North Korean official on the management committee, said during in a PowerPoint presentation in English this week. “Our preferred industries are infrastructure construction, light industries and high tech.”
“该项目的试点阶段已完成70%，我们目前正生产服装、手表和汽车零部件，” 在本周的一次英语幻灯片演示会上，工业区管委会朝鲜官员Kim Hui-jong表示。“我们比较倾向引进基建、轻工业和高科技产业。”
注释：
collaborative adj.合作的, 协作的, 协力完成的
demilitarise vt.解除武装, 废除军备
sew v.缝制, 缝纫, 缝合
stitch v.缝, 缝合
espouse vt.支持, 赞成
fade away 逐渐凋谢, 慢慢减弱
regime n.政体, 政权, 政权制度
a fraction of 一小部分
incentive n.动机
erode vt.侵蚀, 腐蚀, 使变化
tout v.吹捧
thaw n.解冻
reconciliation n.和解, 调和, 顺从
unification n.统一, 合一, 一致
beacon n.烟火, 灯塔
gamble v.赌博
ideological contamination 精神污染
perimeter n.周界
ramshackle adj.摇摇欲坠的
contagion n.传染
portrait n.肖像, 人像
adorn v.装饰
eternal adj.永恒的, 永远的
diplomat n.外交官
encompass v.包围, 环绕
DaimlerChrysler admitted yesterday that it had paid bribes as German prosecutors opened an investigation into the carmaker alongside an existing US probe.
在德国检察机关对戴姆勒克莱斯勒(DaimlerChrysler)展开调查之际，该公司昨天承认曾行贿。美国也已对该汽车制造商进行调查。
State prosecutors in Stuttgart, Daimler’s home town, started examining alleged bribery of public officials in Belgium and Ghana and a commercial buyer in Poland.
在戴姆勒克莱斯勒的总部所在地斯图加特，州检察机关启动了行贿调查，公司涉嫌贿赂比利时、加纳的政府官员和波兰一商业买家。
Daimler said “several” employees had been fired or suspended over bribes paid “primarily” in eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.
戴姆勒克莱斯勒表示，“数名”雇员已因“主要”在东欧、非洲和亚洲行贿而被解雇或停职。
The carmaker announced an overhaul of its ethics controls and pledged to “foster a culture of openness and honesty”.
该汽车制造商宣布，将彻底检查其道德规范控制机制，并承诺“营造公开、诚实的文化”。
The admission of “improper payments”, after an 18-month internal investigation, could lead to fines and possible criminal action in the US and Germany.
在18个月的公司内部调查后，公司承认“不正当支出”可能导致在美国和德国受到罚款，还可能受到刑事指控。
The US Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice are investigating allegations by a dismissed employee that the company maintained multimillion dollar slush funds for bribery.
美国证券交易委员会(SEC)和司法部(Department of Justice)正对一名被解雇员工的指控进行调查。该员工称，公司拥有数百万美元的“小金库”用于贿赂。
Daimler insiders said Dieter Zetsche, the new chief executive, put his weight behind a campaign to promote ethical behaviour. “[Bodo] Uebber [chief financial officer] and Zetsche are really cleaning the house,” one said. “They are going through the company with a fine comb.”
戴姆勒克莱斯勒内部人士表示，新任首席执行官迪特尔•齐泽(Dieter Zetsche)支持提倡道德行为的活动。“(首席财务官)博多•乌博(Bodo Uebber)和齐泽确实在清理门户，”一位内部人士表示。“他们正在仔细清理公司。”
The bribes were paid over the past 12 years.
这些贿赂是在过去12年里支付的。
A person close to the German prosecutors said the bribes were relatively small. “In one case, it is less than
South Korea’s Posco said yesterday it might ask Japan’s Nippon Steel to buy more of its shares to help fend off any potential hostile takeover attempts.
韩国浦项制铁(Posco)昨日表示，可能要求日本新日铁(Nippon Steel)购入其更多股份，以防止任何潜在的敌意收购企图。
Any move by Nippon Steel to increase its holding in Posco would be unprecedented in South Korea, where no foreign investor has acted as a white knight for a large Korean company against a hostile bid.
一旦新日铁增持浦项制铁的股份，将在韩国开创一个先例。在韩国，尚没有外国投资者充当 “白衣骑士”(white knight)、帮助一家韩国大型企业抵御敌意收购的前例。
Nippon Steel, Asia’s leading steelmaker, is Posco’s strategic partner through cross-shareholdings. Posco has a 2.2 per cent stake in Nippon Steel and the Japanese steelmaker has 3.32 per cent of Posco.
亚洲领先钢铁制造商新日铁通过交叉持股成为浦项制铁的战略伙伴。浦项制铁持有新日铁2.2%的股权，而新日铁在浦项制铁的持股比例为3.32%。
The Japanese company, which yesterday declined to comment on Posco’s remarks, formed a strategic alliance with the South Korean company in August 2000 to co-operate on technology, the purchase of raw materials and IT.
新日铁与浦项制铁于2000年8月组成战略联盟，在技术、原材料采购和IT方面进行合作。新日铁昨日拒绝就浦项制铁的说法置评。
注释：
fend off 挡开
knight n.(欧洲中世纪的)骑士, 爵士, 武士
stake v.以……冒险
raw material 原料
But the bank sought to avoid unsettling Japanese and global financial markets. It said the new target, the uncollateralised overnight call rate, would be kept at “effectively zero per cent” for several months.
但日本央行试图避免使日本乃至全球金融市场不安。央行表示，新的目标，即无担保隔夜拆款利率，将在数月内保持在“百分之零的实际水平上”。
The Bank of Japan’s ultra-loose policy was brought in five years ago to avoid the risk of financial meltdown. Banks were suffocating under a mountain of non-performing loans, which Glenn Hubbard, former White House economist, estimated in 2002 at 20 times the relative size of the US savings and loan crisis.
日本央行5年前开始实行极度宽松的货币政策，以避免金融崩溃的风险。日本的各家银行在堆积如山的不良贷款重压下喘不过气来。前白宫经济学家格伦•哈巴德(Glenn Hubbard)2002年估计，日本的不良贷款危机，是美国储蓄和贷款机构危机相对规模的20倍。
The financial crisis left conventional monetary policy impotent and obliged the government to issue huge amounts of debt, much of it bought by the BoJ, to ensure the economy did not sink into depression.
这场金融危机使传统货币政策失效，并迫使政府发行巨额债务，其中大量被日本央行购买，以确保经济不陷入大萧条。
Deflation made the debt problem worse by increasing the size of past loans in comparison with falling earnings and a gross domestic product that has fallen, in nominal terms, for most of the past decade.
通货紧缩使负债问题更加糟糕，因为相对于过去10年多数时间里日益下降的收入和名义国内生产总值，以前债务的金额因通货紧缩而上升了。
Japan’s economic revival was finally sparked by demand from China and the US. Unlike in the 1990s, a decade dominated by anaemic growth, this revival has not been snuffed out by policy errors or external shocks.
最终，中国和美国的需求引发了日本的经济复苏。20世纪90年代这10年，日本经济增长乏力，但与那时不一样的是，这次复苏没有被政策错误或外部冲击所扼杀。
The BoJ shift means the big three central banks are now tightening in unison, although Goldman Sachs said keeping Japanese rates at zero while inflation gathered momentum actually constituted a loosening.
日本央行的政策转变意味着，全球三大央行现正联手紧缩。但高盛(Goldman Sachs)表示，日本在保持零利率的同时让通胀趋势得以巩固，实际上等于放松了货币政策。
注释：
doldrums n.赤道无风带
choke off 把...闷死, 勒死, 绞死
unsettling a.使人不安的
uncollateralised a.无担保的
meltdown n.彻底垮台
suffocating adj.令人窒息的, 憋气的
sink into 使沉入
demand from 向...要求
anaemic adj.[医]贫血的
snuff out 扼杀, 消灭, 死掉
in unison 一致地
Michael Chertoff, the US homeland security secretary, has warned that emotional responses by Congress to security issues, such as the recent flare-up over ports, threaten to damage the nation’s economy.
美国国土安全部部长迈克尔•切尔托夫(Michael Chertoff)警告说，美国国会对安全问题的情绪化反应，比如近期在港口问题上的激烈反应，有破坏国家经济的危险。
“We do not want a regime in which we are so focused on risk to the exclusion of all else that we lock everything down and we destroy our country,” Mr Chertoff told the FT. In his first interview since congressional opposition forced Dubai Ports World to divest the five US terminals it obtained through its acquisition of Britain’s P&O, Mr Chertoff said Congress underestimated the progress made by the Bush administration in promoting port security.
“我们不想要如此关注风险、排斥一切的制度，这样我们会使一切停顿，毁掉我们的国家，”切尔托夫先生对《金融时报》表示。迪拜港口世界(Dubai Ports World)通过收购英国的铁行港口(P&O)，获得了5座美国港口终端，但美国国会的反对迫使它放弃。切尔托夫先生在自此以来接受的首次采访中表示，国会低估了布什(Bush)政府在推动港口安全上取得的进展。
While conceding that more work was needed, he stressed that the administration had to focus on “intelligent security” in a way that “doesn’t burn down the village in order to save it”.
他承认还需要做更多的工作，但同时也强调，政府必须把注意力集中在“智能安全”上，“不能为了拯救一个村庄而烧毁整个村庄”。
In the wake of the ports controversy, some lawmakers have argued that all cargo containers entering the US should be inspected. But Mr Chertoff said such a move would be “tantamount to shutting the ports down”.
紧接着港口争议之后，部分立法者声称，所有进入美国的货物集装箱都应接受检查。但切尔托夫先生表示，此举“等于关闭港口”。
Mr Chertoff said he was surprised the US business community had not been more vocal on the ports dispute and other homeland security issues that could hurt their companies.
切尔托夫先生表示，他感到意外的是，在港口争议和其它国土安全问题上，美国商界未表达更多意见，这些问题都可能损害它们的企业。
Asked whether the administration should shoulder the blame for the congressional backlash over the ports deal, the security chief replied: “There are times when, if we were quicker in explaining what we do, we might avert a certain amount of heartburn.” Sometimes the hard thing to anticipate was “when the reaction is not based on the facts necessarily, but based upon some emotional reaction”.
当被问及政府是否应承担国会反对港口交易的过失时，这位安全首长回答道：“有时候，假如我们能更快地解释我们的行为，我们可能会避免一定程度的不满。”有时难以预见的事，是“反应未必建立在事实上，而是建立在某些情绪化反应上”。
On whether the administration’s constant warnings about terrorism were making the public overly sensitive to security risks, Mr Chertoff said: “We have to have alertness and care but not hysteria or anxiety…We don’t want to build a system that smothers us as a society, whether it is civil liberties or our economy.”
关于政府在恐怖主义问题上的持续警告是否让公众对安全风险变得过于敏感，切尔托夫先生表示：“我们必须警惕小心，但不该歇斯底里和焦虑……我们不想建立一个扼杀我们社会的制度，无论是公民自由还是我们的经济。”
注释：
flare-up 怒气(或疾病)的发作
to the exclusion of 排斥着
divest v.剥夺
In the wake of 尾随, 紧跟, 仿效
tantamount adj.等价
backlash n.反斜线(\), 后座, 后冲
heartburn n.心痛, 妒忌
smother v.窒息
Japan’s economic recovery is generating job growth “like a pressure cooker letting off steam”, according to a report published today.
今日发表的一份报告显示，日本经济复苏正推动就业增长，“就像高压锅释放蒸汽一样”。
Hiring activity in Japan’s peak second quarter season is expected to be vigorous, notably in the financial and insurance sectors, says the latest global outlook from Manpower, the employment-services group.
人力资源公司万宝盛华(Manpower)发表的最新全球就业展望报告显示，预计日本第二季度的招聘活动将相当活跃，尤其是在金融和保险领域。第二季度通常是日本招聘活动的高峰期。
The survey evidence will feed into the debate over Japan’s economic recovery, with bond markets pricing in an early rise in interest rates following last week’s signal from the Bank of Japan that it was ending five years of ultra-loose economic policy.
这项调查将为有关日本经济复苏的辩论增添更多话题。上周，日本央行(BoJ)暗示将结束历时5年的超宽松经济政策之后，债市行情反映了央行将较快加息的预期。
Manpower’s survey of hiring trends in 24 countries shows Japan to have the most robust pipeline in the global economy. The country’s net employment outlook – the percentage of employers anticipating an increase, less the percentage expecting a decrease – climbed to 43 in the second quarter, compared with 35 a year earlier.
万宝盛华对24个国家就业趋势进行的调查显示，在全球经济体中，日本的就业增势最为强劲。该国第二季度的净就业展望指数(net employment outlook)从去年同期的35攀升至43。该指数的计算方法，是以预期增员的雇主比例，减去预期裁员的雇主比例。
“Japan really has its sea legs,” said Jeff Joerres, Manpower’s chairman and chief executive.
万宝盛华董事长兼首席执行官杰夫•约雷斯(Jeff Joerres)称：“日本已确实能够驾驭风浪。”
He said job growth was breaking through the cautious hiring pattern displayed by employers in recent months. “They just can’t hold it down any more. It is something of a pressure cooker letting off steam environment,” he added.
他表示，就业增长正打破近几个月来雇主们展现的谨慎雇佣模式。他补充称：“他们简直无法再压制雇佣需要了。这就像一个正在释放蒸汽的高压锅。”
The regular quarterly outlook predicts positive net hiring in 23 of the 24 countries surveyed – Italy is the exception – with Japan and Germany generating the most optimistic outlooks since the exercise was launched in 2003. Chinese employers said they would reduce hiring activity compared with the same time last year.
该公司的季度展望报告预期，在其调查的24个国家中，有23个国家的净就业展望指数为正数，惟有意大利为负数。而日本和德国的净就业展望指数是2003年展开这项调查以来最为乐观的。中国雇主表示，与去年同期相比，他们的招聘活动将有所减少。
The seasonally adjusted net employment outlook for the US rose marginally to 21 from 20 in the prior quarter, with a ninth consecutive quarter of “healthy hiring”.
对美国而言，经季节因素调整后的净就业展望指数，较前一季度有略微增长，从20增至21，连续第9个季度实现“健康就业”。
注释：
pressure cooker 高压锅
bond market 债券市场
robust adj.精力充沛的
pipeline n.管道, 传递途径
When Li Kelin, head of the state-owned China Shipping Group, was considering expanding the company’s container line business in 1999, he discussed the issue with Gerry Wang, a former executive at Beijing-backed conglomerate China Merchants Group and a long-time friend.
1999年，当国有的中国海运集团(China Shipping)总裁李克麟考虑拓展集装箱运输业务时，他与曾在香港招商局集团(China Merchants Group)供职的老朋友王友贵(Gerry Wang) 讨论了这一问题。
Mr Li told Mr Wang about his dilemma: he wanted to grow the operation but would need government approvals for capital expenditure to buy container ships. In China, getting such approvals could be a cumbersome process.
李克麟向王友贵讲述了他面临的两难境地：他希望拓展业务，但购买集装箱货轮的资本支出需要获得政府批准。在中国，获得此类批准要经过繁琐的程序。
Mr Wang – who was then running ship-brokering operations for Seaspan, a Vancouver-based tug and barge company owned by Dennis Washington, a US businessman – came up with a solution.
当时正在温哥华拖驳船公司西斯班(Seaspan)主管船舶经纪的王友贵想出了一个解决方法。西斯班归美国商人丹尼斯•华盛顿(Dennis Washington)所有。
“I said to him, ‘You don’t need to worry. I will buy the ships and lease them to you’,” says Mr Wang, who went on to establish Seaspan’s ship owning and leasing business in order to supply vessels to China Shipping. The business, which charters vessels to container shipping companies under long-term contracts, has since grown rapidly on the back of China’s booming trade. It was spun off on the New York Stock Exchange last year in one of the US’s biggest shipping initial public offerings, raising $750m.
王友贵说：“我告诉他：‘你不用担心。我来买船，然后把它们租给你。’”王友贵随后组建了西斯班公司的船东和租船业务，向中海集团提供船舶。这项业务的运作方式，就是按长期合同向集装箱航运公司出租船舶。随着中国贸易的蓬勃发展，这块业务迅速壮大，并于去年在纽约证交所(NYSE)分拆上市，融资7.5亿美元，成为美国规模最大的航运业首次公开发行(IPO)之一。
In less than seven years, Seaspan has built a fleet of 15 vessels, with 14 more to be delivered in the next 18 months.
在不到7年的时间里，西斯班公司已建立起一个拥有15艘船舶的船队，并计划在未来18个月里增加14艘船舶。
Two weeks ago, the company announced it would build four ships in China in its first contract with a Chinese shipbuilder, Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding. All four ships will be leased to China Shipping. Seaspan has an option to buy an additional eight vessels.
两周前，该公司宣布首次与中国船舶制造商签订造船合同，江苏扬子江造船有限公司(Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding)将为其建造4艘船舶。这4艘船舶将全部租给中海集团。西斯班公司还有追加购买8艘船舶的选择权。
“China is critical to the world’s containerisation. Our major clients are Chinese companies. Growth is our buzzword,” says Mr Wang, whose company is also courting Cosco Container Lines, the world’s ninth largest shipping liner company, as a client.
王友贵说：“中国对于全球集装箱运输行业至关重要。我们主要的客户是中国企业。增长是我们的常用词。” 西斯班公司也在争取使中远集装箱运输有限公司(Cosco Container Lines)成为自己的客户。后者是全球第9大海运公司。
According to Seaspan, China accounts for more than half of global container movement, which is expected to grow at least 10 per cent per annum in terms of tonnage over the next five years.
西斯班公司的数据显示，在全球集装箱运输总量中，中国所占份额超过一半。未来5年内，预计全球集装箱运输吨位每年至少将增长10%。
More shipping companies also now prefer leasing vessels to owning them, benefiting companies such as Seaspan. On the other hand, the containership charter market is already highly competitive and Seaspan currently relies on only three clients, including Canada-based CP Ships, which raises concerns that its business model is too risky.
现在，越来越多的航运公司选择租船，而非自己做船东，这对西斯班这样的公司有利。但另一方面，集装箱船舶租赁市场的竞争已经极其激烈，而西斯班公司目前仅仅依赖3家客户，包括加拿大太平洋航运公司(CP Ships)。这种状况引致不少担忧，认为西斯班公司的业务模式过于冒险。
“What we have is just a credit risk. No matter how well or how badly our clients are doing, as long as they pay us we are fine,” says Mr Wang.
王友贵说：“我们面对的只是信用风险。不管客户经营好坏，只要他们付给我们钱，我们就没问题。”
Nonetheless, he says, the company would like to grow its client base and is in talks with ship liners including Hong Kong’s Orient Overseas (International), Taiwan’s Evergreen Marine and Japan’s NYK Line.
虽然如此，他表示，公司还是有意扩大用户基础，并正与一些航运公司进行洽谈，包括香港的东方海外(Orient Overseas International)、台湾的长荣海运(Evergreen Marine)以及日本邮船(NYK Line)。
Seaspan plans to add 10 to 15 ships every year, expanding its fleet to about 100 vessels in five to six years. Following its contract with Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, Seaspan, which previously had all its vessels built by Samsung in Korea, says many of the new ships will now be built in China.
西斯班公司计划每年增加10至15艘船舶，在五、六年内，将其船队扩充至100艘左右。西斯班公司表示，自与江苏扬子江造船公司签订造船合同之后，许多新船将在中国建造。以前，该公司所有船舶都由韩国三星(Samsung)建造。
“Shipbuilding in China is improving at a very fast pace. It is also cheap. It’s logical we are going to build more ships there in the future,” says Mr Wang.
王友贵说：“中国的造船水平有了迅速提高，价格也很便宜，所以，我们打算以后在那里建造更多船舶。”
注释：
conglomerate v.聚结
dilemma n.进退两难的局面, 困难的选择
container ship 货柜船, 集装箱运货船
cumbersome adj.讨厌的, 麻烦的, 笨重的
come up 提出
spin off 创造新的事物而不影响原物的大小[稳定性]
annum n.年, 岁
nonetheless adv.虽然如此, 但是
Sony said it would delay the release of its new PlayStation 3 until early November because of problems in the development of Blu-ray DVD technology used in the next generation video game console.
索尼(Sony)表示，将把新的PlayStation 3游戏机(PS3)的发布时间推迟至11月初，因为用于下一代视频游戏机的蓝光DVD(Blu-ray DVD)技术在开发方面存在问题。
Ken Kutaragi, Sony Computer Entertainment president and father of the PlayStation, said yesterday the delay was partly due to Sony’s desire to incorporate “the best available technology”.
索尼电脑娱乐公司(Sony Computer Entertainment)总裁、PlayStation游戏机之父久多良木(Ken Kutaragi)昨日表示，推迟PS3的发布时间，一定程度上是由于索尼希望在其中融入“现有的最佳技术”。
Additional reporting by Chris Nuttall in San Francisco
英国《金融时报》克里斯•纳托尔(Chris Nuttall)旧金山补充报道
注释：
console n.[计] 控制台
incorporate vt.合并, 使组成公司, 具体表现
Lenovo, the world’s third-biggest personal computer maker, is to cut 5 per cent of its workforce as it seeks to trim costs after buying IBM’s PC business.
全球第三大个人电脑制造商联想(Lenovo)将裁员5%，以图在收购IBM个人电脑业务后减少开支。
Lenovo said the cuts would save the company $250m a year in labour costs. They come as the Chinese computer group prepares to spend $100m to restructure its US operations.
联想表示，裁员将为公司每年节省人力成本2.5亿美元。与此同时，这家中国电脑集团还准备斥资1亿美元，重组美国业务。
William Amielo, Lenovo’s chief executive, said the company would plough the savings into programmes to “help Lenovo combat competitive pressures around the world and leverage our new products and brand recognition.”
联想首席执行官威廉•阿梅里奥(William Amielo)表示，公司将把省下的钱投资于一些项目，“帮助联想对抗世界各地的竞争压力，并提升我们的新产品和品牌认知度。”
Falling prices of computer equipment have sparked fierce competition in the PC sector, as older US computer makers such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard square off in a battle for market share against Asian upstarts such as Lenovo and Acer of Taiwan.
电脑设备价格不断下跌，已引发个人电脑产业内的激烈竞争。在争夺市场份额的战斗中，戴尔(Dell)和惠普(HP)等老牌美国电脑制造商严阵以待，以对抗联想和台湾宏基(Acer)等亚洲新贵企业。
Lenovo became the world’s third-biggest computer maker last year when it bought IBM’s PC business for $1.3bn.
联想去年以13亿美元收购IBM的个人电脑业务，成为全球第三大电脑制造商。
Since then it has been trying to gain a foothold in growing markets overseas.
此后，联想一直试图在不断增长的海外市场站稳脚跟。
In February, the company began shipping Lenovo-branded PCs outside of China for the first time, to capture a bigger share of the fast-growing market for desktops and notebooks.
今年2月，公司首次将联想品牌的个人电脑运往中国以外，以在迅速增长的台式和笔记本电脑市场上夺取更多的份额。
The PC business it acquired from IBM was mainly focused on selling to big corporations.
过去，IBM个人电脑业务主要专注于大型企业销售。
The computer maker reported weaker than expected results for the December quarter. Although sales jumped almost 400 per cent as a result of the IBM acquisition, net income growth failed to match analysts’ expectations as the company reported a decline in margins.
在去年12月的季报中，联想的业绩报告未能达到预期水平。虽然因收购IBM业务令销售额跳升近400%，但公司报告利润率下降，净利润增长未能达到分析师预期。
Lenovo also said it would move its US headquarters to Raleigh, North Carolina from Westchester County, New York
联想还表示，集团将把美国总部从纽约州威斯彻斯特县搬到北卡罗来纳州的罗利。
注释：
trim vt.整理, 修整
plough v.费力穿过, 艰苦前进
leverage vt.补充（如金钱）支持
square off 摆出自卫或攻击的架式
margin n.利润
对这位仁兄表示最诚挚的感谢
Profits made in London’s financial heartland and the bonuses paid to City employees saved Gordon Brown from having to admit an embarrassing shortfall of tax revenue in the Budget.
伦敦金融城创造的利润以及支付给雇员的奖金，使英国财政大臣戈登•布朗(Gordon Brown)得以避免尴尬，即承认预算中的税收收入不足。
The small print of the budget documentation shows that income tax and corporation tax revenues would have fallen well short of the forecasts the chancellor made in December, were it not for the unexpected health of the financial services industry.
预算文件的附注表明，如果不是金融服务业的状况好得出人意料，所得税和公司税收收入将远低于布朗去年12月份的预期。
It is just the latest example of the ever increasing importance of London’s financial district for the health of the UK economy and the prosperity of British citizens.
这只是最新的一个例子，表明对于英国经济的健康状况和英国人的福祉而言，伦敦金融城的重要性在日益上升。
注释：
heady adj.振奋的
district n.区域
revenue n.收入
President George W. Bush yesterday issued a strong defence of the role of immigrants in American history as he warned legislators not to “play on people’s fears or try to pit neighbours against each other” in the intensifying debate about immigration reform.
美国总统布什(George W. Bush)昨日为外国移民在美国历史中的作用进行强烈辩护。他警告国会议员，不要在愈演愈烈的移民制度改革辩论中“利用人们的担忧或试图造成邻居之间的对立”。
Mr Bush has proposed tightening border security alongside a guest worker programme to address the problem of the 12m illegal immigrants in America. This is in contrast to harsher anti-immigrant proposals in a bill driven by House Republicans and being discussed this week in Congress. One part of the legislation would make it a felony to be an undocumented immigrant.
为解决美国1200万非法移民的问题，布什已在提出客工计划(guest worker program)的同时，提议加强边境警卫。这与众议院共和党议员在一项法案中提出的更为严厉的反移民法案形成对比。美国国会本周正对该法案进行讨论。根据这项法案，非法移民将被视为重罪。
Almost 500,000 protestors, most of them Hispanic, attended a rally in Los Angeles at the weekend, spurred by concerns over the proposed legislation.
出于对这项法案的担心，近50万抗议者参加了上周末在洛杉矶举行的游行示威，其中多数是西班牙语裔人士。
注释：
pit vt.使凹下
felony n.[律]重罪
Malaysian Airline System said yesterday it would cut 6,500 jobs, a third of its workforce, after reaching a deal with AirAsia, a local budget carrier, to share the country’s domestic flight network. The job cuts are seen as unprecedented in Malaysia, where sackings at state-owned companies have been taboo for political reasons.
马来西亚航空公司(Malaysian Airline System)昨日表示，在与当地的廉价航空公司亚洲航空(AirAsia)达成协议、共享马来西亚国内航空网络之后，该公司将裁员6500人，占其员工总数的三分之一。如此大规模的裁员在马来西亚前所未见。在这个国家，由于政治原因，国有企业一直避免解雇员工。
The move could revive investor interest in state companies after complaints that the government was making slow progress in restructuring.
马来西亚航空公司此举有可能使投资者重拾对国有企业的兴趣。此前，不少人抱怨政府在国有企业改组方面进展缓慢。
MAS agreed to hand over most of its domestic flights to AirAsia after mounting losses last year. The national carrier said government requirements that it service 118 local routes were a main cause of its financial problems because only four routes were profitable.
由于去年亏损额攀升，马来西亚航空公司同意将大部分国内航班移交至亚洲航空运营。这家国有航空公司表示，政府要求其为118条地方航线提供服务，这是导致其财务问题的主要原因，因为其中只有4条航线可以赢利。
注释：
taboo vt.禁忌, 避讳, 禁制, 禁止
sack vt.解雇
hand over 移交
The BBC, the UK public broadcaster, is planning a big expansion of its commercial activities which could see it spend hundreds of millions of pounds on acquisitions, video-on-demand and an advertising-supported website.
英国公共广播机构英国广播公司(BBC)计划大规模拓展其商业活动，BBC可能因此斥资数亿英镑用于收购、视频点播和一个由广告支持的网站。
John Smith, chief executive of BBC Worldwide, said the broadcaster’s commercial arm could borrow up to £350m to fund acquisitions and investments.
BBC Worldwide首席执行官约翰•史密斯(John Smith)表示，该广播公司的商业分支可能借贷高达3.5亿英镑的资金用于收购和投资。
It is drawing up plans to present to the BBC’s executive board this summer, but is already examining a series of deals to launch satellite television services in India, pre-school children’s channels in the US, and a “significant expansion” of its overseas magazine portfolio.
该公司在草拟今年夏天呈递BBC执行董事会的计划，但目前已开始研究一系列交易，包括在印度推出卫星电视服务，在美国推出学前儿童频道，以及“大规模拓展”其海外杂志系列。
注释：
boost v.推进
video-on-demand 视频点播
draw up v.草拟, 停住, 逼近, 追上, 整队
portfolio n.公文包；投资组合
Iran’s announcement that it had tested a new torpedo in war games in the Strait of Hormuz yesterday pushed international oil prices to their highest levels since Hurricane Katrina.
伊朗昨日宣布在霍尔木兹海峡军事演习中试射了一种新型鱼雷，这一消息将国际油价推至卡特里娜飓风以来的最高水平。
The news from Tehran, prompting concerns of a possible disruption to supplies, propelled benchmark Brent crude oil futures nearly $2 higher to trade at $67.79 a barrel.
伊朗政府发布的这个消息，加剧了市场对于石油供应中断的担心，推动基准布伦特原油期货价格上升近2美元，至每桶67.79美元。
Iran’s armed forces frequently carry out extensive military manoeuvres that are given wide coverage on domestic television, but the sensitivity of current naval exercises comes from the 30-day deadline issued last week by the United Nations Security Council for Iran to suspend its atomic programme.
伊朗军队经常举行大规模军事演习，并通过国内电视台大加报道。但目前海军演习之所以颇为敏感，是因为联合国安理会(UN Security Council)上周发表声明，要求伊朗在30天内停止其核计划。
The US Department of Energy calls the Hormuz Strait, which links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, “by far the world’s most important oil chokepoint”.
美国能源部(Department of Energy)称，连接波斯湾、阿曼湾和阿拉伯海的霍尔木兹海峡“无疑是全球最重要的石油咽喉要道”。
About one in every three barrels of the world’s exported oil travels through the strait and Iran is the world’s fourth-largest producer.
在全球所有的出口石油中，大约每3桶就有1桶经由霍尔木兹海峡输往世界各地。而伊朗也是全球第4大石油生产国。
Blocking the straits of Hormuz would be one military option for Iran if the dispute over its nuclear programme were to escalate.
如果关于伊朗核问题的争议升级，封锁霍尔木兹海峡将是伊朗的一种军事选择。
But the use of the oil weapon is double-edged, as Iran is heavily dependent on its own exports, which account for around 60 per cent of government revenue and 80 per cent of export earnings.
但石油武器是一把双刃剑，因为伊朗自身高度依赖石油出口。石油出口约占伊朗政府收入的60%，占出口总收入的80%。
Mohammad Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian, Iran’s deputy oil minister, yesterday foreshadowed Iran’s ability to influence the oil price, when he said: “Owing to the current situation, any fall in oil prices this year is unlikely. . . A sum of factors show that prices will not fall in the next two or three years unless there is a conspiracy against oil.”
伊朗石油部副部长穆罕默德•哈迪•纳贾德-候塞尼安(Mohammad Hadi Nejad-Hosseinian)昨日暗示伊朗有能力影响石油价格。他说：“基于目前的形势，油价今年不太可能下跌……各项因素显示，除非有人联手打压，否则油价在未来2到3年内不会下跌。”
注释：
torpedo n.鱼雷
benchmark benchmark n.[计] 基准
manoeuvre n.策略
chokepoint n.咽喉口
escalate vi.逐步升高
double-edged adj.两刃的
foreshadow v.预示
conspiracy n.共谋
International migration may soon account for almost all population growth in the developed world, a United Nations study predicts.
联合国一份报告预测，发达国家几乎所有人口增长不久均将来自国际移民。
While the UN found the pace of international migration had actually slowed worldwide, those people who were moving were increasingly headed for rich countries, which had declining birth rates.
联合国发现，国际移民在世界范围内实际上已经减速，但越来越多的移民前往人口出生率下降的富国。
“Given the low fertility levels in developed countries, net migration has become the major source of population growth, accounting for half that growth in 1990-95, two-thirds in 1995-2000 and three-quarters in 2000-05,” the UN said.
“鉴于发达国家人口出生率低，移民净人数已成为人口增长的主要来源，占1990至1995年间人口增量的一半，1995至2000年间的三分之二，2000年至2005年间的四分之三。”联合国表示。
“If current trends continue, between 2010 and 2030, net migration will likely account for virtually all growth.”
“如果目前趋势继续下去，在2010年至2030年间，移民净人数可能会占据几乎全部人口增量。”
The findings are likely to add new pressure on European and other wealthy countries as they struggle better to accommodate their new populations and ease tensions with existing inhabitants.
调查结果可能会给欧洲和其它富国增加新的压力，这些国家在努力更好地接纳新移民，并减轻新移民与现有居民之间的紧张关系。
The Netherlands, for example, recently introduced a test for potential immigrants to ensure they understood Dutch culture. “Since 1990, the governments of many receiving countries have been taking measures to facilitate the inflow of the types of migrants they need, especially skilled migrants and temporary low-skilled workers,” the report said.
以荷兰为例，它最近针对潜在移民推出一项测试，确保他们理解荷兰文化。该报告称：“1990年以来，许多移民接收国政府一直采取措施，促进符合需要的移民流入，尤其是技术移民和低技术的临时工。”
“In addition, the governments of countries of origin have become more proactive in encouraging the return of their citizens and strengthening ties with their expatriate communities.”
“此外，在鼓励公民归国并加强与海外移民社团的联系方面，移民的原住国政府已变得更为主动。”
The report, prepared for this week’s meeting of the Commission on Population and Development, said there were 191m migrants globally, up from 175m in 2000 and 155m in 1990. That represented a slowdown in growth compared with the 15-year period between 1975 and 1990, which saw 41m new migrants. But between 1990 and 2005, 33m out of 36m migrants moved to the developed world, with the US alone gaining 15m and Germany and Spain each accounting for 4m.
这份报告是为人口与发展委员会(Commission on Population and Development)本周的会议而准备的。该报告称，全球共有1.91亿移民，高于2000年的1.75亿和1990年的1.55亿。这与1975年至1990年15年间的移民增长相比有所减缓，当时有4100万新移民。但在1990年至2005年间，3600万移民中有3300万流向发达国家，单美国就接收了1500万，德国和西班牙各接收400万。
注释：
fertility n.人口出生率
existing a.[计] 现有的
Netherlands n.荷兰
Dutch adj.荷兰的
facilitate vt.推动
proactive adj.主动的
expatriate adj.定居在国外的
slowdown n.降低速度, 减速
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